CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH is a Claude Code environment variable: Skip Vertex AI authentication. Present since v2.1.69 or earlier and still present in v2.1.294. It is listed in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Added	Present since v2.1.69 or earlier
Category	Cloud providers
Official docs	Listed

How to set it

For one session, export it in the shell that starts Claude Code:

export CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH=<value>
claude

To apply it to every session, add it to the env object of a settings file:

// ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH": "<value>"
  }
}

Release notes that mention it

165 Environment Variables in Claude Code 2.1.69 — What Changed in 50 Versions

Related variables

CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_ANTHROPIC_AWS_AUTH: Skips credential resolution for the Anthropic AWS provider.
CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_ANTHROPIC_GOOGLE_CLOUD_AUTH: The skip-auth companion to the toggle above, grouped in the auth-bypass list with SKIP_BEDROCK_AUTH, SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH, SKIP_FOUNDRY_AUTH, SKIP_ANTHROPIC_AWS_AUTH, and SKIP_MANTLE_AUTH.
CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_BEDROCK_AUTH: Skip Bedrock authentication.
CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_FOUNDRY_AUTH: Skip Foundry authentication.
CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_MANTLE_AUTH: Skips Mantle authentication.
ANTHROPIC_FOUNDRY_AUTH_TOKEN
ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_BASE_URL
ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_PROJECT_ID: Google Cloud project ID.

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH do?

Skip Vertex AI authentication

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH?

Present since v2.1.69 or earlier and still present in v2.1.294.

How do I set CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH=value), or add it to the "env" object in ~/.claude/settings.json to apply it to every session.

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.